1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile radio communication packet data network which provides a high-speed packet data service.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, the second generation mobile radio communication system mainly provides a voice service. Accordingly, in case of processing packet data utilizing this system, a separate network interworking device should be provided in the mobile radio communication system.
However, the next generation mobile radio communication system is required to provide a high-speed radio packet data service. The existing packet data service does not satisfy the conditions required in the next generation mobile radio communication system since the use of resources with respect to an exchange is ineffective and it takes a lot of time to perform the call process of data and the traffic process of data.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional packet data network in a mobile radio communication system.
Referring to FIG. 1, in processing the packet data by the conventional mobile radio communication network, a data service is requested through a service option of a mobile station 8 wherein a terminal (TE) 1 and a mobile terminal (MT) 2 are connected together. Such a request of the data service is transferred to a mobile switching center (MSC) 5 through a base transceiver station (BTS) 3 and a base station controller (BSC) 4. The mobile switching center 5 discriminates whether a circuit data service or a packet data service is requested by analyzing the service option set by a user of the mobile station 8, and then switches circuit paths. If the mobile station 8 requests the packet data service, a network interworking device 6 controls the mobile switching center 5 to operate in association with an internet/public packet data network 7, so that the packet data service is performed.
However, since the conventional second-generation mobile radio communication system is designed to give priority to the circuit data service rather than the packet data service, the capacity and the operation of the mobile switching center will be inefficient. Further, during the packet data service, the call process of data and the traffic process of data cannot be performed at a high speed, and thus it is improper for the second-generation mobile radio communication system to be employed as the next-generation mobile radio communication system.
Accordingly, there have been continuous efforts to propose a packet data network applicable in the environment of the next-generation mobile radio communication system by improving the existing second-generation mobile radio communication system.
Specifically, researches have been continuously progressed for the packet data network applicable to the next-generation mobile radio communication system operating in the multimedia communication environment, utilizing radio network controllers (RNC) which control a radio channel allocation to the mobile station and which control, matching the network, the path of the packet data service or the circuit data service, and packet data gateway nodes (PDGN) which perform management of the mobility of the mobile station and the routing function of the packet data.
However, since the packet data network as described above has the structure in which a plurality of radio network controllers and packet data gateway nodes are connected to the existing mobile switching center, respectively, the capacity of the mobile switching center is apt to become insufficient due to the increase of load of the mobile switching center during the packet data service. Also, the call process of data and the traffic process of data cannot be achieved at a high speed, thereby not satisfying the condition of the next-generation mobile radio communication system.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a mobile radio communication packet data network and a method of providing a mobile radio communication packet data service that substantially obviate one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile radio communication packet data network which provides a radio packet data path by routing a packet router operating in association with radio network controllers, packet data gateway nodes when a mobile station requests the packet data service in a mobile radio communication system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of providing a mobile radio communication packet data service which can process packet data at a high speed utilizing the mobile radio communication packet data network provided according to the present invention, and thus satisfy the characteristic required in a multimedia communication system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of providing a handoff during a mobile radio communication packet data service which satisfies a handoff request generated in various kinds of situations when the packet data service is performed utilizing the mobile radio communication packet data network provided according to the present invention.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the mobile radio communication packet data network comprises a plurality of radio network controllers (RNCs) for controlling a radio channel allocation to a mobile station and for controlling, matching the network, a path of a packet data service or a circuit data service; a plurality of packet data gateway nodes (PDGNs) for performing management of a mobility of the mobile station and a routing function of packet data for information management; a mobile switching center (MSC) for registering and managing terminal node identifiers of the RNCs and the PDGNs connected to the mobile switching center, and for managing and giving to the PDGNs network identification addresses which a user can directly call; and a packet router for providing a packet data transmission path by routing a packet data between the RNC and PDGN, if a mobile station requests the packet data service; wherein if the mobile station requests the packet data service, a packet router is provided a packet transmission path in association with the RNCs, PDGNs, and MSC or another MSC.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a mobile radio communication packet data service, comprising the steps of a mobile station transmitting a packet data call to a terminating terminal node; setting signal link between the mobile station and a RNC; setting a point-to-point protocol (PPP) link between the mobile station and the terminating terminal node; and transmitting a packet data between the mobile station and the PDGN utilizing the PPP link.
In still another object of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a handoff during a mobile radio communication packet data service including a plurality of radio network controllers (RNCs), a plurality of packet data gateway nodes (PDGNs), and at least one mobile switching center (MSC), the handoff providing method comprising the steps of: instructing a handoff to the PDGN utilizing a network identification address of a previous RNC if a certain mobile station moves into a region of a new RNC in a state that a point-to-point protocol (PPP) link set between the mobile station and the PDGN is in an active state; the new RNC informing to the PDGN a network identification address of the new RNC and the terminal node identifier; and transmitting the packet data utilizing the packet router between the new RNC and the PDGN.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.